Official Luthiers Forum!

About a year ago I ran across a really nice web tutorial with a lot of pictures detailing a method of joining a headstock to a neck in the fashion that actually uses the volute as part of the joint.

I have spent the last week trying to 'rediscover' this tutorial without success. Has anyone here seen it or one like it?

This is a construction technique that I really want to start learning and boy, am I disappointed in my memory!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Jim, wasn't it the V-joint that some people use in classical building?

If so, maybe the classical builders will show you the way?

Good luck!

Serge

I know Julius Borges was working on an article about this joint, but I don't
believe it's been published. He said the Martin guys called him to get info
about how to do it! I believe he called a modified bridle joint. From what I
can remember it can all be cut on a table saw with a tennoning jig and fit
with a hand plane.

There are pictures of this joint disassembled on frets.com as well.

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

There's a little illustration of it in Guitar Making Tradition and Technology by Cumpiano and Natelson, but no instruction. It mentions on page 68 that this traditional V-joint "dates back as far as the 1500's". I hope that helps a little.

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

Thank you all for the info. I'll register with MIMF and go take a look.   Much appreciated!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

a few years ago the gal published what is to my mind the definitve how to on the vee joint. it was written, iirc, by geza burkhardt, the absolutely incredible emigre hungarian luthier resident in vancouver. he is also an inventive tool designer/maker whose tools are works of art in and of themselves.

anyone who is not familiar with him will benefit from looking at his work.

Michael--

You were on the money with what I remembered. The photo essay (20 pics) is in vol 63 of American Lutherie available from the GAL. Thanks again!

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

Ah heck, look what you've made me do now!

I'd already ordered this month's quota of goodies, and now I've got BRB IV (because the first three looked lonely on the shelf), AL63 (because don't expect BRB VI will be going to print any time soon) and balalaika plans (because they're there) winging their way across the Atlantic!

Cheers

Hello , Try this
http://www.mimf.com/library/senseney_v-joint_headstock.htm

Good Luck

Be aware that the V-join that Burkhhardt wrote up in the GAl is a different thing from the joint that Martin used, and Borges uses. That's sometimes called a 'Fussen' V-joint, and was the headstock joint that Hauser I used, apparently. It's darn near impossible to describe, and difficult even to draw, but once you've seen how it goes together it makes a lot of sense.

One 'problem' with it, IMO, is that, unlike the traditional V-joint, it's difficult to get the modified bridle joint apart, and it almost certainly will not break cleanly along the glue line if it takes a sharp hit, the way a tradtional V-joint will. The traditional one is easy to fix in that circumstance, while the bridle joint will break wood and require a neck replacement.

There is also an article on p. 282-282 of The Big Red Book of American Lutherie entitled "Head V-Joint" by Duanne Waterman. It is a reprint from a GAL Data Sheet #183.

The information contained in the article is similar to the Steve Sensensey article cited above.